The Little Parrot and the Angel’s Tears by M. Anu Narasimhan

The Little Parrot and the Angel’s Tears is an illustrated children’s picture book that tells the story of a brave little green parrot. The parrot in the story lives in the jungle with his animal friends, although he bemoans the fact that he is so small and weak compared to them. When a fire suddenly breaks out in the forest he at first runs away before remembering his friends can’t fly like he can! The parrot begins to try putting out the fire on his own, to the great amusement of the local Devta – divine spirits that roam the earth. However, one young Devta is moved by the devotion the little parrot shows to his friends despite the overwhelming odds.

Anu Narasimhan includes a short forward to the book, explaining that The Little Parrot and the Angel’s Tears was a story that she had grown up hearing from her grandmother. The book definitely has the quality of a short, bedtime story with a charming rhyming quality to the writing and a positive, feel-good message. The illustrations are simple and engaging, and were done with black ink and Faber-Castell Pitt markers. The bright colors, particularly the bright green parrot and stylized blazing fire, are an attractive draw for young eyes. The book’s message – how it is possible for someone to do great things even if they are small, or believe themselves to be so – is a lesson every child should be exposed to at a young age. The underlying tone of selfless sacrifice might go over younger children’s heads, but older children may pick up the double message.

Whitney Smyth received a Master’s in Book Publishing and Technical Writing at Portland State University, following a Bachelor’s in English at the University of Arizona. She took over ownership of Portland Book Review in December of 2014. She also works as a freelance editor and can be commissioned at Smyth Editorial Services and spends what little free time she has on her own writing. Coming from a family of readers she devours an average of one hundred books a year, in a variety of genres. Her favorite authors are far too numerous to list, but include Alexandre Dumas, Mary Shelley, Jim Butcher, and John Green.

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